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Benefits of Multi-tasking???

Camslam

Well-Known Member
Apr 1, 2010
169
75
Can someone give me a real world, bare bones, idea of how the multitasking on the Incredible (android in general) actually works or what makes it so great? I know that is one of the things people haven't liked about the Iphone, and by default it is seen as a big benefit to android phones.

I'm about to get my first smart phone and while I like the idea of multitasking, I'm wondering how many things can I actually run and/or use at one time.

As I have thought about it, admittedly I'm not experienced, but I was thinking I could listen to music, while sending a text, or surfing the net, or maybe running some app, but how many things can I really do at once on the phone? Maybe while on a call I can be surfing the net or playing a game or running some app?

If I'm playing a game, won't that take up the whole screen, if I'm using it for navigation, I can't really be texting while it is guiding me, or making a call, I guess I could, but who knows?

Hopefully this doesn't sound too stupid of a question, I'm just trying to figure out how I will best utilize my phone when I get it. Maybe the idea is that I don't have to close things out or have them close in order to do something else, and that allows me to go right back to what I was doing before I changed tasks?

Any thoughts someone might have on this? Please keep in mind, this isn't a complaint or probing question as to limitations, I'm really just trying to figure out all the cool things I will be able to do with my phone when I get it.
 
Yes , here is a perfect scenario of one way I benefit from it.

Today listening to the tribe blow yet another game with MLB At-Bat 2010 app, I get a new mail notification, I exit the app read my email. I never stop listening to the game. With the iPhone/iPod Touch, as soon as I exit the app, the audio drops, I read my email and go back to the game and miss events that take place.

It was worse when I would want to surf the web while listening to the game, on the iPod Touch, I could only do one or the other....
 
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Most apps that you can multitask while still using will work if you press the "home" button to exit rather than the back button.

For instance if you're using nav, just press the home button and you can do other things, and it will interrupt and tell you when to turn, you can go back to the nav screen and see the map and directions again. In contrast if you press the back button, it will cancel your request and you will go back to the physical directions, rather than the map (where you press "navigate").
 
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You cannot browse the internet and be on a phone call at the same time. That is a limitation of the CDMA network, not the phone though.


I have to say that you can!....this is the wrong information that you are giving! while you are talking on the phone and you are near a wifi spot...turn wifi on and keep on talking!:D...I have wifi at home and it worked like a charm...turned it on and off while talking to my hubby...so it does work!:eek:
 
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All good info. Thanks for the replies.

I didn't realize that you could NOT surf the net, while on a call. :(

That stinks, but I would hardly complain about that.

Are you able to do other things while on a call? I.e. send text to someone else, play game, or access some other type of app, etc... Just so long as they don't require the "net" to work?

Edited: So if I can access a wi-fi for the net, rather than the CDMA phone "line", then I can surf the web and be on a call at the same time? Sounds good to me.
 
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All good info. Thanks for the replies.

I didn't realize that you could NOT surf the net, while on a call. :(

That stinks, but I would hardly complain about that.

Are you able to do other things while on a call? I.e. send text to someone else, play game, or access some other type of app, etc... Just so long as they don't require the "net" to work?


Yes you can do anything like that while on a call as long it is using the phone network and not 3g(NET). So on the other hand as long as you are on the internet you can do anything on 3g(NET) at the same time as long as it isnt on the phone network. It is really nice to have multitasking and you wont really appreciate it until you use an iphone..The only thing the Iphone can do that the droid cant as far as multi tasking is they can be on a call and surf the net...again this is the result of the NETWORK not the phones themselves..If a droid was on ATT it would be able to be on a call and internet.
 
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I have to say that you can!....this is the wrong information that you are giving! while you are talking on the phone and you are near a wifi spot...turn wifi on and keep on talking!:D...I have wifi at home and it worked like a charm...turned it on and off while talking to my hubby...so it does work!:eek:

As you describe it, yes, it does work, but I think the poster was referring to solely operating on the mobile network. It goes without saying that you can browse while on WiFi when holding a call.

You can't browse the web and also hold a phone call at the same time on a CDMA network. This is a CDMA limitation, and this will not change.
 
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1. I stream Pandora and use Nav all the time.

2. Another example, Astrid reminds me of a task I have to do. I open gmail and start composing an email, but need details about something. I use voice search to search the internet for something. Look it up, switch back and finish email, switch back to Astrid and check it complete.

3. While using an exercise app that tracks my GPS location and calculates stats, I listen to music or Pandora or Podkast.


Basically it's a mini computer. That's its job. It can handle everything you want it to do, whenever. I'm already more productive on the Inc after 6 days than I ever was with my Storm.
 
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I have to say that you can!....this is the wrong information that you are giving! while you are talking on the phone and you are near a wifi spot...turn wifi on and keep on talking!:D...I have wifi at home and it worked like a charm...turned it on and off while talking to my hubby...so it does work!:eek:

That has nothing to do with what I was referring to.

CDMA does not support data and voice at the same time. You are using Wifi, so it is not using the same antenna to get the data for the internet.
 
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The reality is that you do a ton of multi-tasking with the phone and never really associate it as such. You really just take it for granted that you are doing it.

This sounds about right, I just want to make sure I can maximize my taking it for granted. :p

I've already gotten some good ideas on how to utilize the different options on the phone, and thus far it doesn't look like there are too many limitations.

Obviously it comes back to how much can you really do at one time, or more to the point, how much do you want to be doing at one time. Seems like the Incredible and Android make it possible for you to decide that. :)
 
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FWIW, my most complicated multi-tasking scenario was when I configured my phone's SIP clients. I had to have email open, for my trunk's credentials/settings, multiple browsers open to configure the trunk, SIP and GVoice accounts, along with GVoice and Skype/phone apps...and of course the prerequisite, all while listening to streaming music from my PC (soon to be replaced with "all while watching TV via sling mobile :D).

Rare, one-off scenario, but at 3am, I had just finished work, and really didn't feel like sitting at my desk to config/test my accounts, and dreaded having to use 7 old "slow" laptop to use while lying in bed. Realized I could do it all on my phone. But alas, it was with a different phone/carrier.

At most though, my average multi-tasking situation may be web browser or two, mail, VNC Viewer session, and a call, where info is actually needed/used between apps.
 
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Some things that have come up:

I was riding the bus, on Yahoo messenger having a conversation with a friend. In addition, I was browsing the web, specifically this site for funny pictures. I was having a good conversation with a friend, having myself a chuckle at the images, and also copying/pasting some of the images I saw to my friend on Yahoo Messenger.

I was driving to meet a friend for dinner at a place I had never been before. While driving, someone called. I know, bad me for answering the phone while driving. Anyway, the navigation continues and while there is a bit of an overlap between the navigation and the person on the other line, I explained what happened and ask if they can be quiet while I listen for a second.

I will also listen to Pandora while browsing the web sometimes. I could even listen to Pandora, talk to my friend on Yahoo, and browse the internet all at the same time.
 
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Can someone give me a real world, bare bones, idea of how the multitasking on the Incredible (android in general) actually works or what makes it so great? I know that is one of the things people haven't liked about the Iphone, and by default it is seen as a big benefit to android phones.

I'm about to get my first smart phone and while I like the idea of multitasking, I'm wondering how many things can I actually run and/or use at one time.

As I have thought about it, admittedly I'm not experienced, but I was thinking I could listen to music, while sending a text, or surfing the net, or maybe running some app, but how many things can I really do at once on the phone? Maybe while on a call I can be surfing the net or playing a game or running some app?

If I'm playing a game, won't that take up the whole screen, if I'm using it for navigation, I can't really be texting while it is guiding me, or making a call, I guess I could, but who knows?

Hopefully this doesn't sound too stupid of a question, I'm just trying to figure out how I will best utilize my phone when I get it. Maybe the idea is that I don't have to close things out or have them close in order to do something else, and that allows me to go right back to what I was doing before I changed tasks?

Any thoughts someone might have on this? Please keep in mind, this isn't a complaint or probing question as to limitations, I'm really just trying to figure out all the cool things I will be able to do with my phone when I get it.

This is a VERY valid question. Many people overlook this very fundamental fact. When its all said and done, you can only view one thing at a time on your screen. Try explaining that to a Palm Pre user who thinks its cool that they can swipe through 8 cards of active programs that they can never see until they're active...but thats another topic entirely...

...the most useful benefit I can think of when it comes to multi tasking IMO, is the ability to keep a navigational session active while using other parts of the device. Everything else pretty much falls within a niche or seldom used scenario that add little productivity to the average mobile user
 
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...the most useful benefit I can think of when it comes to multi tasking IMO, is the ability to keep a navigational session active while using other parts of the device. Everything else pretty much falls within a niche or seldom used scenario that add little productivity to the average mobile user.

Pretty darn cool to have the ability to multitask, even in a seldom used scenario. Anyway you cut it, having the ability to do more things, at a quicker rate is a good thing for productivity. This phone will be a plus for me that way and as a fun hobby, possibly an addiction for the first week or so. :D
 
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